Eurasian Scops-Owl

SCI Name:  Otus scops
Protonym:  Strix Scops Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.92
Taxonomy:  Strigiformes / Strigidae / Otus
Taxonomy Code:  eursco1
Type Locality:  Europe, restricted type locality, Italy.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

OTUS
(Strigidae; Ϯ Indian Scops Owl O. bakkamoena) L. otus  small eared owl  < Gr. ωτος ōtos  eared owl; "III.  OTUS BAKKAMOENA.  The Little Horn Owl.   THIS elegant species is found in Ceylon, is called there Bakkamoena, and is a scarce species even in that island.   It is represented of its natural size. The irides are scarlet: the horns take their origin from the base of the bill, and point to the sides of the head: on their inner side they are dusky, on their exterior white.  The bill is dusky, surrounded with long bristles: the circle of feathers round the eyes is of a very pale ash-color: the external circle of a yellowish brown.  The head of a deep ash-color: the back dusky: coverts of the wings grey, marked with narrow lines of black, pointing downwards: the quil feathers regularly barred with black and white: the breast buff-colored, marked with small sagittal black spots: the legs feathered half way down: the naked part of a reddish yellow." (Pennant 1769); "Otus Pennant, Indian Zool., 1769, p. 3. Type, by monotypy, Otus bakkamoena Pennant." (Peters 1940, IV, 86).  
Var. Otis.   
Synon. Acnemis, Athenoptera, Ephialtes, Gymnoscops, Heteroscops, Lempijius, Pisorhina, Scops, Scototheres, Zorca.

otus
L. otus  eared owl  < Gr. ωτος ōtos  eared owl; "42. STRIX.  ...  Otus.  4. S. capite auriculato pennis senis. Faun. svec. 47.  Otus s. Asio. Bell. av. 25. 6. Aldr. orn. 1. 8. c. 3. Will. ornith. 64. t. 12. Raj. av. 25. Frisch. av. t. 99. Alb. av. 2.. p. 10. t. 10.  Habitat in Europa.  Cristæ auritæ albidæ fasciis sex fuscis." (Linnaeus 1758) (Asio).

scops
L. scops, scopes  small owl  < Gr. σκωψ skōps, σκωπος skōpos  little eared owl; "42. STRIX.  ...  Scops.  5. S. capite auriculato penna solitaria.  Scops. Aldr. ornith. l. 8. c. 4. Raj. av. 25.  Habitat in Europa." (Linnaeus 1758) (Otus).

Scops
● (syn. Anthropoides Ϯ Demoiselle Crane A. virgo) Gr. σκοπος skopos  watcher, guardian  < σκοπεω skopeō  to spy out; "84. SCOPS.  Demoiselle de Numidie. PERR. Mem. d. Anim. 156 sqq. fig. opt.  Virgo Numidiae. Allgem. Hist. der Reis. t. 3. t. 13. f. 3. fig. superficiar." (Moehring 1752); "84. NUMIDISE JUFFER, in 't Latyn Scops.   Demoiselle de Numidie. PERRAULT Mem. des Anim. 156. met eene zeer goede afbeelding.  Numidies Juffertje. Algem. Hist. der Reizen, Tom. 3. 13. f. 3. met een oppervlakkige figuur.  EDWARDS, Tom. 3. t. 134" (Moehring 1758); "SCOPS, Mœhr. (1752).  Anthropoïdes, Vieill. (1816).  Ardea, L.  Grus, Briss.  Tetrapteryx, Thunb. (179?).    S. Virgo, (L.) G. R. Gray. Pl. enl. 241" (G. Gray 1841).
● (syn. Otus Ϯ Eurasian Scops Owl O. scops) Gr. σκωψ skōps, σκωπος skōpos  little eared owl; "LES CHOUETTES, ULULÆ.  ...  14. SCOPS.  Bec épais, très-incliné; cire à peine convexe sur les côtés; narines très-petites, ovales: oreilles médiocres, dépourvues d'opercules: ongles simples . . .yeux surmontés d'aigrettes mobiles.   ...   SCOPS Ephialtes. Le Petit Duc" (de Savigny 1809): based on Σκωψ of the ancients.   Var. Scoops.
● (syn. Scopus Ϯ Hamerkop S. umbretta) "GRALLÆ  ...   Rostrum validum compressum, Caput longitudine superans  ...  Apice aduncum, Facies plumis tecta . . .SCOPS" (Brünnich 1772). Undoubtedly a lapsus.

SUBSPECIES

Eurasian Scops-Owl (Eurasian)
SCI Name: Otus scops [scops Group]
OTUS
(Strigidae; Ϯ Indian Scops Owl O. bakkamoena) L. otus  small eared owl  < Gr. ωτος ōtos  eared owl; "III.  OTUS BAKKAMOENA.  The Little Horn Owl.   THIS elegant species is found in Ceylon, is called there Bakkamoena, and is a scarce species even in that island.   It is represented of its natural size. The irides are scarlet: the horns take their origin from the base of the bill, and point to the sides of the head: on their inner side they are dusky, on their exterior white.  The bill is dusky, surrounded with long bristles: the circle of feathers round the eyes is of a very pale ash-color: the external circle of a yellowish brown.  The head of a deep ash-color: the back dusky: coverts of the wings grey, marked with narrow lines of black, pointing downwards: the quil feathers regularly barred with black and white: the breast buff-colored, marked with small sagittal black spots: the legs feathered half way down: the naked part of a reddish yellow." (Pennant 1769); "Otus Pennant, Indian Zool., 1769, p. 3. Type, by monotypy, Otus bakkamoena Pennant." (Peters 1940, IV, 86).  
Var. Otis.   
Synon. Acnemis, Athenoptera, Ephialtes, Gymnoscops, Heteroscops, Lempijius, Pisorhina, Scops, Scototheres, Zorca.

Eurasian Scops-Owl (Cyprus)
SCI Name: Otus scops cyprius
cyprius
L. Cyprius  Cyprian, of Cyprus (whence cyprium  copper, which was mined there).